Summary
NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk installed and deployed the International Space Station’s seventh roll-out solar array during a 7-hour, 11-minute spacewalk. NASA says all eight arrays together will increase available power by up to 30% once installation is complete.
NASA astronauts Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency installed and deployed the International Space Station’s seventh roll-out solar array during a 7-hour, 11-minute spacewalk on October 29, 2026. NASA says the array is connected to the station’s 2A electrical power channel and will provide additional power for critical operations, including a safe, controlled deorbit.
The upgrade adds power in stages
The International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or IROSA, is part of a broader power-system augmentation. Solar arrays generate electricity from sunlight; the newly installed unit adds capacity to one of the station’s electrical power channels.
This is the seventh IROSA installed on the station. NASA said the astronauts also completed preparatory tasks for a planned November 5 spacewalk, when they are scheduled to install the eighth and final array on the 3B power channel.
Capacity increase depends on the final installation
NASA says that once all eight arrays are installed, they will increase available power by up to 30%. The agency gives the station’s power-generation capacity as rising from 160 kilowatts to approximately 215 kilowatts. That station-wide increase is tied to completion of the installation; the October 29 spacewalk put the seventh array in place.
The additional capacity is intended to support station operations as well as its eventual safe, controlled deorbit. The October 29 outing was Menon’s fourth spacewalk and Kutryk’s first. NASA counted it as the 100th U.S. spacewalk and the 285th spacewalk supporting space-station assembly, maintenance and upgrades.